We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

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Month: January 2012

It is really good. I think all high school seniors should have to participate in a simulation like this one. Not quite sure how to make this work while homeschooling… going to try though. We are reading this together today, It will make a great discussion at the dinner table.

What do you think??
Here it is:

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama’s socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama’s plan”. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A…. (substituting grades for dollars – something closer to home and more readily understood by all). After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment: 1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. 2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! 5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. By: Ed Will

I think #5 is the one that our next presidential candidate should run on.

God has blessed her with an amazing eye for seeing things that quite a few of us would miss, and the ability to catch it in a photograph. Since we homeschool she has had the chance to really expand on her talent. She has actually started a small business for herself already and she is only 16! Yes I am that very proud mother.

The sad thing is, she really enjoys the editing of the pictures and her favorite site is Picnik. (We have Photoshop and a few others expensive programs that we have downloaded that she just does not find as enjoyable.) Picnik is closing in April.

Poor Aimee, this is her love. She has had the premium account there for quite a while and yes she will be reimbursed the money that we have put in for the year since they are closing. She has just been so depressed that she now has to spend so much time searching for a comparable site or program. So she is putting her Valentine’s Day package in the scrap pile until she can figure out a new plan for her business.

I put one of her pictures from last year up here.

We were just out browsing an antique store and Aimee really liked this pair of boots for a shot.

(I should post some of the others she took as well. Really interesting.)

She just did a little tweaking with Picnik and voila! Pretty picture.

Everyone we know who is a photographer that uses Picnik is in the same photo boat. Everyone of them bummed. Maybe Google will bring it back even better?? I hope so. Until then I guess we are on the internet surf for some new editing software.

I have been very spoiled to have this mini kitchen helper for a few years now. It was so nice to just drop in ingredients, push a button and in a few hours my home would have the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread. It would be hot and in the perfect little rectangular cube. I would let it cool then slice it for snacking on or for sandwiches.

Alas, our days together in the kitchen are over.

(sniff)

I will always remember the scare you gave me towards the end when you were struggling to hang on.

The burning smell that filled the house as I corrected papers late at night on the couch.

How the stop button refused to work.

How when I then pulled the cord from the outlet you sparked at me and I let a small scream escape my lips.

The bread dough inside, not even formed, just a glob of starch sitting at the bottom of the baking pan…burning.

It was so sad.

We tried to give you an overhaul.

Cleaned you outside and in till you sparkled like a CHRISTmas tree.

You smelled almost new and looked amazing sitting up there on my counter ready to try again.

We plugged you in.

We opened your lid.

All looked as it should, so we proceeded.

In went the yeast, sugar and warm water to your vessel to begin the process of creation.

Going well so far, we then added the other dry ingredients then the wet. We closed the lid and pushed the correct buttons to begin the process.

Vroom. Vroom. Vroom.

You started!

No bad burning smells anywhere!

Yes!

Two hours and forty minutes later I send Rebecca to stop and peek inside the window on the lid to see how beautiful this loaf of bread must be.

Since I have not smelled anything burning I assume the problem has been fixed.

“Momma, it didn’t do anything” is what I hear from my daughter.

Bummer.

“Just hit stop then honey” I reply.

Of coarse it does not work so she proceeds to pull out the cord as I am yelling not to.

“Too late. I was just trying to help” she responds.

Disappointed I go to my machine and lift the lid.

It is just dry dough.

Totally bummed I leave the machine there to cool.

(ugh)

Time to go old school again.

I drag out my big bowl and all the ingredients I need for making bread.

I combine them, kneed them and then let them rise in the turned off oven.

I formed two loaves, let them sit for a few then put them in the oven.

Forty minutes later…

house smells like baking bread and we have two awesome loaves of bread. That is twice what I usually make!

The kiddos and I eat one and save the other for later.

Nice snack!

Points for Momma!

Feeling a little bit better I go back to my old friend breadmaker to see what I might have missed in the fixing.

I pull out the cooking pan and see just millimeters from the heating element…

all the liquid from the wet part of the ingredients at the bottom of the mini oven.

Sweet Jesus you protected us! My daughter pulled out the cord! She could have been electrocuted!

Our house could have caught on fire!!!

The bread machine could have caught on fire!!

Thank you God for saving us!!

Miracle is what that was right there.

Nothing short of exactly what it was, a miracle.

Today, as I kneed my latest loaf, I bid you farewell my old bread machine.

I will not be getting another.

You have terrified me to the point of never wanting one again.

(or at least not while there are children in my house)

So off I send my son to deposit you in your green container on your way to the green e-waste facility to spend your eternity.

Rest in Peace

<3

Hey, side note here, maybe this will be a good way to get my arms all toned up!!!

Most of the girls that were invited are friends also home school, so when I told them we were going to sit down and have a short lesson they thought nothing of it. The other girl…I know she thought I was crazy. I put in a dvd that was instructions on how to tie dye. None of us had ever tie dyed before so this would be fun! Straight and to the point dvd with about 5 different ways to twist the fabric to make different patterns. It told you how long you had to soak the shirt, when you could dye it and the way to get the best results. Most of the girls totally got it and were excited to try it! The one girl who does not home school admitted she did not pay attention to the video and had no idea what we were doing…”why are we soaking the shirts?” Made me so happy I home school!!

The girls were little sweeties and before you know it all the shirts were twisted, soaked, dyed, rinsed, washed and dried.

Turned out cute huh?

Best party favor we ever had for a party that is for sure!!

Oh and all the home school parents thought it was funny that I found a way to educate the kiddos even at a party!!

All the girls were so sweet.

They have all been raised by wonderful parents.

My older girls have been to slumber parties where they come home crying because girls were so mean and rude.

Yesterday during my morning prayers I had asked God for an idea to inspire my children’s hearts. I wanted them to grow in their love for Him. I then got this great idea that popped into my head (wow that Holy Spirit works fast!). I started to think about if I went to meet Jesus right now, right this very moment, would I be prepared?

Have I made a difference in this world positively?
Have I done good works just to do what is right or did I really do them for praise?
Have I raised my children so that they can continue their journey with the Lord on their own?
Have I loved my husband enough?
Have I respected him enough?
Have I worked to make sure that my marriage is constantly strong in the Lord?
Is my faith strong enough?
Did I encourage others with my faith?
Many questions popped up that I knew if I died I would be accountable for.

Kinda put my life in perspective.

It was a great person growth moment.

That was when I knew I had the perfect assignment for the kiddos. What would happen if they died that evening and they would be speaking to Jesus that night?

I got some amazing work back. After a bunch of groans and “do we have toooo’s” they were on their own to figure out how to respond to my question. My only input was that the paper could not be about how they would prepare to die. It was to be an unexpected, untimely death and about what they would be doing after death.

I received truly heartfelt words from their hearts. One child wrote a 5 page story about their death and seeing all the effects of choices made through God’s eyes. How life is precious and we need to be aware how we are all intertwined by choices we make, so we should act accordingly. One child wrote about the way they wanted to change to be when they hoped to meet God. One child still wanted to grow in faith, service and felt they had not done enough to enter the Kingdom of God yet.

My heart was filled with emotion reading these. They are to personal to the children to actually share but they were amazing and perfect for each one. The best part is I know each one had to look inside themselves and see exactly where they were at in their life and examine it. See if it was who they truly wanted to be. Where they needed to grow. What they still wanted to accomplish.